


The Mountain's Crown

by Feelingsinwinter



Category: Avengers, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: ? - Freeform, Angst, BAMF Tony Stark, But a lovable one, CAN YOU FEEL IT, Care of Magical Creatures, Clint is a cheater, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I hope, M/M, Magic, Magic Creatures, Minor Injuries, Soldier Bucky, Soldier Clint, Soldier Steve, Steve is Innocent, THE MYSTERY IS THICK, Tony is a little shit, and you might kill me at some point, bucky is an asshole, definitely not, starkspangledwinterhawk, unknown Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 05:00:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13563360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feelingsinwinter/pseuds/Feelingsinwinter
Summary: When Clint take his boyfriends out on a camping, claiming he knows the best spot to set camp and enjoy their rest for awhile. He doesn’t know he’s leading them to a wonderful adventure.When Tony finds those three assholes he knows they mean troubles. He just doesn’t know how right he is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Akira_of_the_Twilight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_of_the_Twilight/gifts).



> I started this in October for the Starkspangledwinterhawk month Akira started but I kinda… lost it all when I started it and then it got bigger and bigger and just went out of hand XD. It’s all finished though! I rarely post anything before it’s entirely done (I’m way too afraid of giving up and leaving people without a proper ending) so no worries on that part. 
> 
> So I’m a little bit late but I hope it’ll be nice still!
> 
> This is a gift for [Akira_of_the_Twilight](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_of_the_Twilight/pseuds/Akira_of_the_Twilight). For all the stories you give us, all the amazing works you imagine and then share with us, for all the time you spent working on them, for everything you do, not only in the fandom. Lots of love, hon! <3
> 
> A lot, lot, lots of love for [Dapperanachronism](http://archiveofourown.org/users/dapperanachronism/pseuds/dapperanachronism) for being such a supportive honey bee. The whole thing wouldn't be there if it weren't for them. They corrected it admirably and helped me all along. Lots of love and gratitude.

“We should have turned right,” Steve said.

He glanced behind them, looking worriedly at the way the path dipped deeper than Steve had imagined. If he looked in front of him, the trail kept going higher and higher, to the point where Steve couldn’t exactly make out the end of it. The line just stopped somewhere, showing more trees and some pieces of sky between leaves. It almost felt like hiking, at this point.

The canopy wasn’t all that dark, everything around them was a deep green, the light playing shades on the trees’ trunk, puddles of sunlight like pieces of gold thrown carelessly on the ground. It was admittedly beautiful, Steve thought. Not enough to be worth the pain they were going through, though.

They had been walking for hours since their departure, muscles burning from the stretch. They were used to be pushed toward their limits and beyond but they had taken this trip to have some well needed, well deserved rest. This was definitely not rest.

In front of them, Clint shrugged helplessly. He was the one leading them to what he’d called ‘the perfect spot to set up camp’ but the more they walked, the more Steve thought they were lost. It wouldn’t be a problem if they weren’t currently in the Old Forest, the place where a lot of strange things were known to happen. The kind of things that became stories told late at night, fire camp burning high and fending off the creeping darkness. They scared adults and kids alike, huddled together and hung up on the tale teller's lips.

“No,” Clint said, “it’s the right way. I never said it would be easy to get there.”

“You did say it would be,” argued Bucky with a huff. “‘Like a stroll in the park, man,’” Bucky mimicked, “‘even your old carcass would do, man’. You got us lost, admit it,” he added, a bite to his words.

Steve scowled and elbowed Bucky in the ribs, mouthing him to be nicer. Bucky rolled his eyes at him and elbowed him back. If he was being honest, Steve wasn’t feeling any better, though. His forehead was covered in sweat and adjusted his backpack for at least the third time. They were all tired and Clint had obviously gotten them lost, but refused to admit it, which wouldn’t be surprising knowing him.

Walking firmly a few feet ahead of them, Clint turned and strolled backward, a smirk dancing on his lips. “What, you already tired, big baby?”

Bucky held back a snort, keeping his frowny face on and glaring at his boyfriend for good measure. “Not enough to keep me from kicking your ass, asshole.”

“Aw, now that’s i-”

Clint’s answer ended on a loud scream as he flailed wildly, trying to get hold of something, his body falling backward when his feet failed to find support in his next step. He disappeared before his hands could grab on something, his fingers barely managing to brush against the trees’ leaves.

Steve and Bucky screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering the way the first chapter is kind of.... short and ending quite abruptly, I decided to post this one fairly quickly. I hope you will like it! <3

The Mountain’s Crown casted a welcome shade over Tony’s house and its surrounding, keeping the sun from hitting too hard on him and his proteges. Everyone liked a bit of warmth from time to time but even with the end of fall approaching, when it was past midday the heat could become unbearable very fast.

Trisha, on the other hand, enjoyed it happily. She was lounging a little farther, where the sun could actually touch her, scales gleaming in the daylight. She was big enough that she looked like she was taking all the space, wings slightly spread to receive as much heat as possible. Trisha was a work of natural art and Tony let himself admire her for a handful of seconds, taking pride in the way her right wing was well settled and the wound no longer scaring the thick but delicate leather. She was still missing a finger but there was nothing he could do anything about it. At least she could still fly.

The wyvern had been a surprise to wake up to. Like every other before her, she didn’t know what had lead her to the Mountain’s Crown, what instinct had told her she would receive the care she needed but she’d come nonetheless. She wasn’t the first and definitely wouldn’t be the last, for the Crown was special in more ways than one.

As long as Tony had lived here, it had been that way. The first time he had set foot on the grassland at the bottom of the mountain, he had felt more comfortable and at home than he ever had. It was like a tremor in his soul, something shaking and sliding into its rightful place where it had always belonged. At the very moment, he had known.

Since then and for the last fifteen years, Tony had stayed at the Crown, gathering material to build his house and taking care of wounded strays. His home was now a big construction with probably too many rooms but considering the pace at which creatures kept coming, it probably as bad as he liked to think, all things considered.

Trisha couldn’t fit in, obviously, and she had to stay outside during her care but she wasn’t the only one. Birdy and Peter couldn’t come in either and Tony had had to build a stable for the horses, a hen house because weirdly enough hens and roosters had found their way up there too. The Crown was full of life and definitely not a calm, normal one, but there was plenty of space for anything and anyone in need.

Hoisting up his buckets, Tony made his way toward the hen house. First, he needed to feed them, then take care of the horses and the dogs, after that maybe he’d be able to work on his own projects. He was already done with his morning routine for the guests resting inside his house. For once, he was ahead of his usual schedule, thanks to a very late night and an early morning.

The war had ended a few months ago but the stream of wounded creatures was only starting to slow down. The number of war mounts Tony had had to treat was infuriating, more so when he remembered the number of them he had lost despite his best efforts. This time had been difficult, especially for his self-worth.

Once done with the last of his tasks, Tony made his way toward his home, mind working and full with projects he had now the time to work on. He was barely a few feet away from the doorway, could almost feel the fresher air from the inside when the sound of great wings flapping made him stop.

Hoping against everything, it would just be some friendly visit from the griffin, Tony turned around until he could see Peter. Coming from the rockiest part of the mountain, the beast was very clearly flying toward Tony and his house. Made of gold, yellow and tawny colors, Peter was beautiful in his myriads of shades but, most of all, the pace at which he was coming spoke of anything but a friendly visit.

“What now…”

Honestly, what had he done to deserve such punishment? He couldn’t even have one fucking afternoon to work on his projects, have some time for himself - for once - without some kind of challenge to keep him away from his beloved personal work.

Peter would unlikely be of any help in taking care of the matter as quickly as possible because with griffins, and pretty much every other creature, there was no way to actually talk. Some were really smart, as smart as humans beings, sometimes even more like Trisha, but they couldn’t shape words. That meant a lot of work in the communication department.

In the course of the years, Tony had became quite amazing at charades but there was only so much a feathered creature could mimic.

Tony shouldn’t have worried too much, though, because as soon as Peter landed, the heavy thud of his thick paws hitting the ground, the griffin made the simple motion he used to make Tony climb on his back. Urgency it was, then. Great. Fuck Tony’s own projects, fuck everything he had had in mind for his afternoon, something needed him.

In a few steps, he made his way toward the beast and carefully climbed on his back, mindful of the feathers. Once Tony fully seated, Peter took off, spreading his great wings and using his back paws for a strong impulse to propel himself up and into the skies.

They dove towards the side of the mountain, wind howling in Tony’s ears and whipping his hair around his face. A second later and Birdy was there, following closely, his amazing colors shining in the raw light of the mountain’s sun.

For a second, Tony allowed himself to marvel once more at his life and the friends he had made, the family he had found in creatures most wouldn’t even get a glimpse of during their whole life.

The view, when flying, was breathtaking in every sense of the word. Tony had to keep his hold on Peter as tight as possible without hurting the griffin, tightening his knees and thighs around the animal’s flanks to keep himself from falling. Birdy would catch him before he’d hit the ground but the fall was still terrifying and Tony didn’t want to experience it any more than he had to.

The mountain’s land laid under them, spreading as far as the eye could see, amazing in its colors and the life it fostered. Shades of every blue in the shape of lakes hidden between mountains’ flanks or in small depressions, trees higher and bigger than anywhere else covering almost everything and shadowing the ground. In the distance, the river unraveled itself between the hills and disappeared far away at the horizon.

Curving his body to the left and coming closer to the mountain’s flank, Peter slowed down until he could land on a small ledge, his great wings slapping quickly until he was safely settled without endangering his precious charge.

Above them, Birdy landed on the forest’s ground, unable to find a ledge big enough for himself along the cliff, and peered down at them, cocking his huge, austere head and ruffling his feathers on the back of his neck. His intense gaze settled on Tony, watching him attentively.

Shifting slightly on Peter’s back, Tony looked around, trying to see what had motivated the two flying creatures to come and seek him to bring him here.

The griffin and his powerful claws were all that were standing between Tony and a deadly fall. There was nothing to see or find along the cliff, nor at the mountain’s foot, down too far below to be the answer. No whimper to help him locate an injured animal, nothing shifting around them aside from the wind playing in the leaves and the trees’ branches above them.

Then Birdy looked deeper along the cliff and Peter shifted ever so slightly on his perch and Tony saw them.

Three men were lying on a ledge barely big enough to fit them. Two of them were tightly holding the third. They’d tried to take as less place as possible, huddled together to keep the warm and to keep themselves from falling.

“I thought we didn’t do humans,” Tony said in disbelief.

Not that he never wanted to help his peers, far from it, but with those three men he could do nothing but bring them to the haven. Once there and awake, they’d see all the beasts around. Trisha was hard to hide and Peter and Birdy would refuse to leave the Crown while three unknown men were there. It was a risk Tony wasn’t ready to take, not when the creatures’ safety was at stake. He was responsible for them.

On the other hand, if Peter and Birdy had seen them and deemed them safe enough to lead Tony to them, maybe he shouldn’t worry too much? They were good judges on human nature, weirdly enough. They were even more so than Tony himself, which was saying something.

Under him, Peter turned his head until he could peer up at Tony. From his perch, Birdy did the same and Tony found himself at the end of two identical glares.

“What? You’re the ones who’s gonna eat them if they misbehave.”

Peter rattled his beak and chirped, spreading his wings wide before letting himself slip from his perch, gliding effortlessly toward the men.

“Ok, we’re going to do this,” Tony conceded, staring at the humans as they got closer. “Peter, we’re taking the injured one, Birdy you take the other two. D’you have one of the three marvelous?” he asked, craning his head until he could see the roc bird.

Grinding his beak and making a low, irritated sound, Birdy spread his wings, revealing the presence of two small glowing blue orbs cradled in the joint of the bird’s wings.

“Awesome, let’s do it then.”


	3. Chapter 3

There were hushed voices arguing not so far away from him. Clint could hear them despite their best effort to keep their tones low. The voices sounded familiar but despite his best efforts he couldn’t quite put names on them. Yet.

Considering the pain his head was in, he probably had hurt it and Clint was used to that kind of things. Particularly with the aftermaths and dealing with consequences. Especially those related to his boyfriends, who, now that he could put two strings of thoughts together, were the ones arguing next to the bed he was currently lying in.

The last memories Clint could muster didn’t speak of any bed, yet he was definitely lying on one. They’d been going out camping, no bed should have been involved in that. Even less when he thought back on his last memory now that he had access to it. He remembered falling off a cliff but whatever had happened after that was lost to him. The feeling of being held tight, of burning pain in his leg, of being harangued to stay awake were the last things he could remember.

While he knew waking up would mean being on the receiving end of two angry stares, Clint forced his eyes to open and had to blink back against the bright light the sun was casting through the nearest window. He groaned, instantly silencing the arguing, and raised his hand to the left side of his head, where the worst of the throbbing was located. Under his fingers was the familiar feeling of dressing wrapped around his head. He also found his hand wrapped in dressing too.

Pushing the headache to the side, he studied the bandage with curiosity. It was clean, cleaner than any he ever had, and perfectly done. It fitted his hand, keeping his fingers free all the while keeping pressure probably in the right places since he didn’t know exactly what he had to warrant the dressing.

“None of you made that,” he said, cutting off Steve before he could start with his mother-henning. Bucky frowned, arms crossed over his chest, but there was nothing new about it. “Steve’s dressing are messy and Bucky’s always keep me from using my fingers. Who did this? Where are we?”

Bucky rolled his eyes as Steve sat on the right side of Clint’s bed. The sheets looked fresh, as did pretty much everything about this room. It was kinda spacious despite holding three beds. There was space for them to wander, a table on the far corner of the room with chairs. Despite having some difficulties thinking straight, it was obvious the room was only made for two beds and the third one, alike a third chair, had been added for their sake.

“We don’t know,” Steve answered reluctantly, glaring at the closed door. “We woke up here. Whoever brought us here took care of us.”

Clint raised an eyebrow, making of show of looking Steve over, then Bucky. Brooding and face closed off, Bucky had settled himself against the wall in front of the door. That way, if anyone came from it, he would be the first one to be seen, allowing Clint and Steve to take action if necessary. He would be the first one to be injured, too, Clint thought with a scowl. The bastard was always one to talk but when it came to the real shit, Bucky was as self-sacrificing as any of them. Hypocrite.

“Ok,” Steve agreed with a small smile, “they took care of _you_ ,” he rectified with a glance toward Clint’s forehead where the dressing was.

“Judging by Bucky’s caged wolf attitude and your frowny face, the door can’t be opened, can it?”

“No,” Bucky growled, face murderous. “It’s locked and the door’s thick enough that neither of us can break it without injuring ourselves.”

“ _And_ ,” Steve forcefully added with a pointed look toward Bucky, “because we don’t know if they’re hostiles.”

“They locked us in, Stevie!” Bucky shouted. “I don’t know what else you need.”

And that, Clint thought, was probably the subject of their arguing. Bucky was always quick to feel threatened and backed in a corner, but Clint could relate to his cautiousness. On the other hand, if someone had taken the time to dress Clint’s wounds so carefully, they couldn’t be that bad. Especially since they were nice enough to leave them together. Whoever had done that, had had to move a bed into the room to accommodate them… and it was something. If they were intent on hurting Bucky, Steve and Clint, the best bet would have been to keep them separated and put pressure on Clint’s injured state. It was the best leverage they could get and use, but they didn’t.

“Alright,” Clint said with effort has he heaved himself upright. “Let’s see what we can do about that door.”

Before he could set a foot on the ground, though, Steve had a hand on his chest and pushed him back on the bed.

“You’re injured,” he scowled.

“Yeah, but we’re trapped and I’m not sure I’m feeling comfortable enough to let that be without at least knowing a little more about our keeper. Besides, I’m not that badly inj- What the fuck is this?”

His left ankle was held in a cast that went up to half of his shin. The pain, however, was light and he had barely registered it until he had laid eyes on it. Which was probably telling something about the drugs he must be on.

The uneasiness that had appeared when Steve had told him they were locked in grew and coiled tightly in his stomach. He was starting to feel sick. It was one thing to be slightly injured while being potentially held prisoner. It was another to be unable to run for his life if something was to happen. Steve and Bucky could probably get away without him, they were fast and had some of the best stamina Clint had ever seen. But they would never let him stay behind, not when they were unsure of his safety. No matter how Steve was giving the benefit of the doubt to the person keeping them, it was one thing to be trustful, it was another, for Steve, to trust some stranger with his boyfriend’s well being and safety. Especially in such situation.

“We need to get out,” Clint stated firmly.

It took a few minutes, but convincing Bucky and Steve to actually go along the plan proved to be easier than Clint had thought it would be. Steve must be more worried than he let on, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering Steve’s boyfriends and only family were in probable danger.

Standing on his feet, on the other hand, was harder than expected and he staggered to the door with Bucky’s help, ignoring the worried glances Steve and him were trading over Clint’s head.

While breaking the door wasn’t a possibility, picking the lock definitely was and Clint was pretty good at that. Especially with the kit he found still in his backpack. Whoever had brought them here had discarded them of their weapons but left everything else.

It didn’t take very long for the lock to be forced and for Clint to have Steve taking position under his right arm to support a part of his weight and help him walk.

The door opened, Bucky went first and made sure the hallway was empty before moving forward.

They went down the right hallway, staying close to the wall, senses in high alert. Bucky walked in front of them, footsteps light and silent, hands opened and ready to take down any opponent that might appear and threatened them.

Watching Bucky in the mindset he used while on a mission or on the battlefield was always a sight to behold. His eyes would swipe from one point to another, taking in anything and everything. Bucky’s body would moved with a purpose and fluidity it lacked the rest of the time, when relaxed and casual.

It was no wonder that, seeing Bucky like this, always gave them the hots. The bastard knew it, though, and would use it against them from time to time, which would always give way to some of the most interesting moments of their sexual lives. The things Bucky could and would do during sex were… brilliant and amazing, and Steve and Clint would never get tired of it.

Steve jostled Clint a little, frowning at him despite his knowing smirk. “You’re staring at his butt, I’m not sure it’s what you’re supposed to watch,” he said, his frown softening and his grin only growing firmer.

In front of them, Bucky looked back at them, focused eyes like steel and razor sharp but showing a hint of smugness.

“Go back to your room,” someone said, voice firm and cold, from around the corner.

Bucky startled and whirled around, ready to jump into action but stilled entirely when his eyes landed on whoever had spoken. Clint and Steve had to move closer to be able to see the newcomer too and they understood almost immediately Bucky’s stillness.

Bucky was one hell of a soldier, the kind who had trained his entire life and had became extremely skilled. He could disarm someone fast and easy. An untrained soldier would lose his weapon in less than a few seconds, finding their hands empty without knowing how it had happened. Someone a little more use to that kind of technique would take some more time and probably require to be neutralized at the same time.

There were people, though, who were trained enough to give Bucky a hard time. The man currently in front of them was among them. His stance was perfect, his grip around his sword loose and pliant but firm and trained. The man’s eyes spoke of hard won battles, of days spent training to get to that level. Experience and confidence were written across the man’s body.

“What if we don’t?” Bucky asked, voice low and gravely, eyes never leaving the man’s face.

Without moving, his hold on his blade never weakening and his arm still despite the weight of the weapon, the man looked at Bucky. Really looked at him.

Clint was good at picking hints, at seeing things others didn’t. One of his skills was to read people like open books and his only match in that regard was Bucky, but the man staring them down from the other side of the hallway hadn’t given Clint much to work with. His face was carefully blank, aside from hard, focused eyes. They didn’t wear the same coldness Bucky’s currently, but the man had seen death and blood, probably more than most. He was wary and ready to take action if necessary but since he had choose to talk before attacking, he might be more inclined toward helping them than hurting them. Which made sense. If Clint was right, the man had helped them. Probably saved them, considering their last location.

“Listen,” the man said, a repressed sigh audible in his weary voice, “I don’t want to hurt you and I would appreciate it greatly if you could just go back to your room. I will bring you some food and water, I was coming to check on his wounds,” he pointed at Clint, “and yours,” he added to Steve who looked rightfully abashed when Bucky shot him a dirty look.

“Will you lock us up again if we come back in there peacefully?” Steve asked, watching the man closely.

For the first time since the beginning, Clint saw the man hesitating, his eyes darting ever so slightly to the side. He looked uncomfortable, maybe ashamed even, which didn’t go all that well along the possibility of him having bad intentions where Clint, Steve and Bucky were concerned. He looked also young, suddenly, probably the same age as them, barely older.

That second of hesitation was all Bucky needed.

In a blur of movements, he was on the man. Slithering along the sword’s blade, he struck sharply on the man’s wrist, making him drop the weapon. The man hold back a scream, his face going from shy and unsure to sharp and focused as he took a fought back.

His open hands and flexed knees spoke of training and competence but no matter how much Clint would have _loved_ to stay and watch, he had to go. As soon as Bucky had made his move, Steve had steered him toward what they hoped was the exit.

As they were hurrying toward the door they could now see, the sounds of pained grunts and bodies hitting stone followed them. There wasn’t much they could really do and coming back to help Bucky would only make it worse. Bucky was perfectly capable of holding his ground against a trained opponent but if he had to worry about any of them as he fought, he would be unfocused and more likely to make a mistake. Clint was a liability and so was Steve since the man had implied he was hurt too.

Clint kept his mouth shut despite the moans and whimpers escalating his throat as the pain in his leg creeped toward unbearable levels and his arm started to burn like raging fire. They couldn’t slow down, not if the man came after them, not if it meant Bucky had to stay longer behind. The faster they put distance between them and that place, the safer they would be.

Trying to keep a tight leash on his worries and raising panic, Clint couldn’t hold back a glance over his shoulder as Steve and him barreled out of the house. From inside, he could still hear the sound of the fight. At least it meant Bucky was still alive.

Looking back in front of him, Clint discovered that the ground was going down on a slight slope. The house was built on top of a mountain and they’d have to climb down.

He had barely a second to wonder how a man, apparently alone, had managed to drag three dead weights from a cliff to that place when a roar thundered over them. Every bones in Clint’s body felt like they shattered to the sound as it went on and on, echoed by the mountains. What dropped in front of them made the earth shake and made Steve lose his balance, sending them tumbling to the floor.

Clint cried out as pain erupted from his leg but screeches and great wings slapping the wind covered the sound.

Before he could roll around and maybe take a look at what was making his whole being scream in terror, Clint felt Steve’s arms grab him and gather him against his chest. Which conveniently allowed him to face their coming death. Today, death had three sets of eyes and they were all staring angrily at them.

Towering over them in its terrifying might was the biggest wyvern Clint had ever seen. Smoke smouldering from its snout and opened maw, showing teeth as big, long and sharp as were its claws. Distantly, Clint noticed a finger was missing on the right wing and the thick leather was scarred, the angry lines spreading widely like something had tore through it. It was a wonder it had healed. Wyverns stuck on the ground never lived long enough to heal, they were quickly dealt with by scared humans or other predators. This one, though, had survived. Its great size might have helped but Clint suspected there was more to it.

On its left stood one of those creatures people were use to avoiding at all cost. Luckily, their favorite territories and nesting places were too far up the mountains to be seen or a real concern. Those crazy enough to seek roc birds were rarely to came back, if they came back at all. This one was a deep shade of pink, the color fading along its neck and head, becoming a startling white. Its primaries were the same white, a silvery glint to them, and the way the light reflected and played on them was fascinating. Clear, winter blue eyes were staring at them. While birds of prey always had a severe look to them, this one seemed ready to tear the flesh off of their bones.

On the wyvern’s right side, smaller in comparison but no less frightening in its deadly look was a griffin. Taller than a standing human, it had all the deadly part of both the lion and the eagle but bigger. While it was at first glance slightly less frightening than a wyvern or a roc bird, Clint had seen griffins hunting and killing. There was nothing that could escape a hunting griffin. They were smart and agile, while bulky, they were also lithe enough to maneuver tightly and the manoeuvres they could pull while flying were astonishing.

The wyvern would be the best choice, Clint thought. Fire or jaws of death, it would be quickly over. Clint wasn’t sure the roc or the griffin would be kind enough to let him die quickly.

Clint’s leg was sending bolt of pain through his body, pulses of agony joined by the throbbing of his arm. Steve could probably run away but the bastard wasn’t one to give up on anyone, much less his boyfriends.

Behind them, the door kicked open. The thick wood hit the stone wall in its momentum, the sound covered by the wyvern’s constant growling. The roc bird screeched loudly, spreading his wings wide but before it could do anything more than readying itself to fly, the griffin had jumped. As Steve was staring down the two resting beasts, Clint followed the winged creature and hold back an anguished scream when he found it had pinned Bucky to the ground, knocking the sword out of his hold and out of reach.

A resonating growl brought Clint’s attention back on the wyvern as it leaned toward them, promises of death glowing in its terrifying eyes.

“Trisha, don’t!”

There was a very fair probability Clint had peed himself. He turned again to watch the man tumbling out of the house, blood running down his face and a bloody hand pressed on his ribs. He stumbled over something and fell with a string of curses.

The wyvern had stilled, so had the roc bird, wings still spread wide and body coiled for action. The griffin hadn’t moved, its large, deadly beak a few inches away from Bucky’s face. The talons of its front paw had grazed Bucky’s shoulders and flanks as it pressed him onto the ground.

It took some time for the man to come back on his feet, all the while wyvern, roc bird and griffin looked like they wanted nothing more than go and help him but remained where they were. Keeping them in check, Clint guessed. At least it resolved the mystery of how a man could carry three men from one point to another, all on his own.

“Fuck, I hate humans,” the man grumbled and stumbled again, managing to stay on his feet this time. He thrust a finger at the griffin, glaring at it with all his might despite his bloody shape. “You! Don’t look so fucking angry, you’re the one who show them to me!” The griffin looked impossibly ashamed and contrite, head slightly hunched while still threatening Bucky. The roc bird folded up his wings, silent, suddenly not so mighty anymore. “Yeah, you can make yourself smaller, Birdy bird, I didn’t forget you either.” The roc’s head almost disappeared in its shoulders. The man huffed painfully, pressing his hand back against his side with a wince.

Leaving all pretense the man lowered himself to the ground and sat.

“Whatever. The cat’s out of the bag anyway,” he sighed.

“You were protecting us,” Steve tried. His arms were still tightly wrapped around Clint, holding him close to his chest. Like he could protect him against a fire breathing creature and a winged beast that could rip them to shreds without having to put too much effort into it. Which was without counting the roc bird who liked to drop its prey from the sky when it didn’t feel like hunting like a regular bird of prey.

“Nah,” the man denied with a shake of his head. He made a gesture toward the deadly creatures, fingers coated in blood from a cut up his arm, “I was protecting them.”

Shock wrote itself across Steve’s face.

“Now,” the man said, “you don’t leave me much of a choice. With a bit of waiting, you would’ve been gone and free and we’d all live happy ever after. But if I let you go now I can’t be sure I won’t see you again leading an army to us.”

“Why would we do that,” Bucky pushed out, the pressure the griffin kept on his chest making it difficult to speak.

“That’s what humans do,” the man stated, like it was the obvious answer. And a little bit like Bucky was an idiot.

“You speak like you’re not one,” Clint intervened, watching the man’s reaction closely.

“Yeah, well,” the man answered. “I’m still at a dead-end and I don’t like killing people. Much,” he added like an afterthought.

“Then don’t?” Steve tried, tightening his hold on Clint like he would on a life buoy. He was obviously pressing on the only way out he could see but it was also Steve’s nature. Despite being a soldier for years, seen things that had led men to insanity, Steve was still a strong believer in human nature. In trust and kindness, in generosity and truth. “Let us stay,” Steve added, “and you’ll let us go when you’ll deem us trustworthy?”

“If,” the man corrected instantly.

But the look he shot Steve, incredulous but seemingly considering, had nothing on Bucky’s glare. Despite being pinned to the ground by a griffin, he looked like he would like nothing more than whack Steve’s upside the head and kick his ass for good measure.

Clint… Clint couldn’t think past the pain and the certitude he had done something real bad in a previous life to deserve so much shit in this one.


	4. Chapter 4

Trisha followed them until she couldn’t fit her head farther inside the house. Her snout pointed blindlessly, upper lip raised and showing teeth too long for a man to keep his peace of mind after seeing them from that close. It didn’t disturb Tony in the slightest. Before going further inside, he patted her scaly nose and kissed it gently, revealing in the deep rumble it earned him.

“Thank you for looking out for me,” he whispered.

She made a small, short birdsong and Tony felt himself melt from the inside.

Everyone knew wyverns roared and hissed, their screams like rolling thunder shaking the ground. Very few, however, knew the clear sound they could make. Wyverns sang, a sound crystal like, born in dreams made reality. The first time she had sungfor him, Tony nearly fell in surprise. The sound leveled so many things inside of him, feelings he thought dead long ago, memories of his mom he had thought lost for him.

He kissed her nose again, reiterated his thanks and headed to his room. If he could, he’d stay with her and Birdy and Peter but he needed to take care of his cuts. The sooner the better. The day hadn’t started yet and there was plenty to be done.

The three men had retreated to their own room, not without presenting themselves to him before doing so. For what, exactly, Tony didn’t know. A few given names Tony couldn’t even be sure were the real ones wouldn’t make things better. One of them had beat the shit out of Tony enough that there wasn’t a part in his body that didn’t hurt. Though, considering the way the man - Bucky - had fought, maybe Tony could estimate himself lucky to be breathing still.

He’d have to be aware and on the look for that one, at the very least. The giant blond - Steve - could be a problem too but there was something about that Bucky guy. Tony’s guts were twisting in discomfort at the sole memory of his fighting skills.

Damn, why had he made his house so fucking big for fuck’s sake. It took age to reach his own freaking room, even more so because of his heavy limp. The cut in his thigh wasn’t too deep but it was long and, well, everything hurt and Tony was exhausted. It’d been a long time ago, the last time he had to use his swordsman skills. And Bucky wasn’t just any opponent, far from it. Damn, the look on that man in a fight was terrifying.

The supplies in Tony’s closet might not be enough for what he had but his leg hurt like a bitch, his arm was dripping blood everywhere and it was difficult to see through the blood running in his eye. He wasn’t threatened by death but his condition wasn’t optimal either and he lacked the strength or the motivation to take care of his injuries.

The only thought of actually stitching his skin back together, not even talking about all the painful process before and after that, made his skin crawl.

His door squeaked open, letting a new visitor in.

It was one of those beast Tony didn’t want the three men to see. Shad was made of shadows but could appear in the form of a weird looking lizard. He stood on four long legs and had the shoulder height of a big dog, his long, lithe body was covered in black scales. The head ended on a long snout hosting small, sharp teeth made to bite and release, leaving his prey to bleed to death.

The eyes that looked up at Tony had a shiver running down Tony’s spine. Shad wouldn’t hurt him, but there were deep parts of Tony that answered to instinct before it answered to logic. And Shad was a very lethal, very fast killer.

Waiting until Tony’s hindbrain was done screaming at him to run and hide, the beast slithered closer, sniffing along Tony’s injuries. His tongue never came close to the blood but, nostrils flaring and pupils shrinking to a vertical slit, the green of his eyes turned a dangerous shade of orange. Shad hissed at the hallway, body tensing.

He would have moved, probably to hunt down the three humans arguing a few rooms down the hallway, but Tony pressed his fingers on the small creased behind Shad’s right ear and the beast went pliant, plopping on the bed with a hissing sigh.

“Don’t you go and kill them, they just tried to protect each other. Just like you’re protecting what’s yours,” he scolded lightly, taking out supplies to treat his wounds. Damn it, he wasn’t looking forward to it. “Beside, I think Trisha scared them shitless.”

Shad snorted and moved, barely, but just enough to rest his head on Tony’s left knee, looking up at him. There was a small shade of blue swirling in the fading orange of his eyes, green swiping back in and taking over. The thread of blue remained. Tony smiled, soft and tired. “I’m not yours.”

The lizard’s head went upward, resting higher on Tony’s thigh. Closer to the artery nestled somewhere there, Tony’s hindbrain screamed, thrashing against his calm composure. It was hard, admittedly, to stay relaxed when green faded slightly to a yellowish kind of shade. “Ok,” he said quickly, keeping his eyes firmly on his task at hand, “I’m yours. Whatever.”

The head remained where Shad had laid it, didn’t moved when Tony squirm to get to the wound on his right thigh, didn’t hissed when he jerked back at sudden, unexpected pain.

It took time to take care of it all. Too much. The balm he had used on his ribs had lightened the pain but moving would be a bitch for a few days, if not more. Nothing was broken, though, which was still something to feel grateful about. Broken ribs were just awful and working with that would be impossible, not with the amount of work he had to deal with.

Work he still had to get done today.

Tony patted Shad softly on the head, waking him up from his light doze, and heaved himself on his feet with a deep sigh. Damn, today was going to be a pain in the ass but he was definitely not eager to see tomorrow raise. If he was in pain right now, after sleeping it would be worse.

The lizard slithered down the bed and followed him as Tony limped through his room, heading for his usual routine. Wincing from time to time, he went to the room where he stocked the supply needed to take care of his guests and started what should have been his morning round.

The first two proved themselves difficult but the Crown’s magic supported him, soothing the creatures responding more to instinct than logic and understanding, calming them and probably hiding the scent of blood if necessary. To wolves and bears, Tony was almost seen as one of their kind, familiar and easy, but attractive also. He was trusted and calming, everything they needed him to be in order to feel relaxed enough to let him heal them.

Those with a conscious mind were different. They were lead to the Crown, knowing they could trust him. Once arrived and if they were still wary, the Crown would reach out to them and soothed their fear and pain to help Tony in his task. It was a team effort. There was no dialog with the mountain, even if Tony sometimes talked to it as he worked, but he could feel it in his chest. He wasn’t alone and he belonged to the Crown as much as the Crown belonged to him.

There wouldn’t be a Crown if it wasn’t for him and his Savior after all.

Tony had given birth to that place. The very same day he had been brought back to life.

As he went about his duties, Shad remained his shadow, following him closely. Since he had left his room, Tony’s hair on the back of his neck had stood on end, shivers and goosebumps coming along for the ride. No matter how long the creature stayed, Tony would never get used to it.

Shad was nothing and everything people were scared of when they talked about creatures in the dark. They talked about his kind, about what the could do, stories scary for both adults and kids, and yet none of them knew the name of their worst nightmare. His race had remained unknown despite bumping into humans from time to time. Weirdly enough, this one had taken a liking to Tony. Or just decided the human belonged to him. Maybe Shad’s kind were all protectives of their things.

Once his head firmly in the game, though, Tony managed to oversee his pain. Crouching and touching and walking on all fours didn’t bother him anymore. Maybe the pain medicine he had taken was helping too. Luckily enough, it wouldn’t trick his mind, the last thing he needed was to angered one of his guests for an easily avoidable mistake.

As he was nearing the end of his round, though, he remembered the dirty-blond guy and his own wounds. Which needed to be treated too, especially after their small trip outside. Taking care of his last charges, a couple of squirrels - don’t ask - and the three wonders in the last room - it was less about taking care of them than making sure they didn’t mess anything up during his absence - barely took a few minutes which allowed him to head toward the humans’ room.

As he neared their door, the hair on the back of his neck seemed to try and pull itself out of his own skin. Tony rubbed it and glared - as much as he felt brave enough to - toward the nearest patch of shadows.

“Stop it,” he hissed. “I can take care of myself.”

The rush of cold swiping down his neck and back said it all. Tony wrinkled his nose, fear and frustration mixing together.

“Fine, but don’t you go inside.” He made a move to knock on the door but thought better of it. He squinted toward the nest of shadows. “I’m seriou-”

The door he stood in front of opened swiftly. “Yes?” the great blond said, startling Tony. Steve watched Tony carefully and maybe a little bit perplexed, warm blue eyes making small jumps between the seemingly harmless dark corner and Tony.

Something cold prickled down Tony’s arms. That, for once, wasn’t disdain or doubt toward his capacity to defend himself, this was Shad being a little shit. And mocking him for being startled so easily. Which, unfair.

“I’m here to take care of-” Damn, how to human, already? Tony gestured toward the inside of the room. “Your friend’s leg,” he said, finally. “And his arm.”

“We-”

Tony narrowed his eyes and beefy-guy swallowed, glancing inside the room like he was hoping someone would come to help him.

“We already took care of it?”

“You what?”

That wouldn’t do. He barreled inside the room, shouldering Steve out of the way and glaring daggers at Bucky, daring him to get in his way.

Tony pestered as he took care of Clint’s injuries, trying to ignore the grin spreading the dirty blond’s lips. Stubborn ass humans shouldn’t be allowed in the haven. Never. And those jerks had the fucking gall to tell him to rest? Fucking scolded him for being out of his own bed?

The only thing that kept him from chewing them out was the certitude of Shad coming down on them if he was too upset.

They fucking refused to use the pain medicine for Clint.

Fucking humans.

***

The very next day, when the two beefy boys surprised him sneaking out of his own room for the third time that day, they made a decision. They’d been scolding him each time they saw him out of his bed, which explained the sneaking out. The thing was… what the fuck? He was in his own freaking house for fuck’s sake! If he wanted to be reckless and foolish, it was his own freaking right!

Not anymore, apparently.

Despite his protests, they moved Tony’s bed in their own room, so they could watch over him and Clint and make sure they stayed in bed. Apparently, the dirty blond guy - Clint then - had sneaked out as soon as they had their back turned. Why did Tony had to be punished because that dumbass couldn’t stay in bed?

Pot and kettle, a voice in his head said. And it suspiciously sounded like Rhodey.

When they started moving his bed out of his bedroom, Tony thought of jumping on the bed to slam it back on the ground, of making them know they were overstepping his boundaries too. Even saying the simple fact that he didn’t trust them with his own safety, especially considering he’d be sleeping in the same room as the very guy who was responsible for his injuries.

He had been so ready to give them an earful of his mind but Shad had held him back.

The feeling of ice creeping up his back, fear turning his stomach upside down had made him reconsider his options. Bucky wasn’t insensitive too if Tony was to consider the glances he kept throwing around, his eyes coming back and forth between the shadows nestled in every corner, swiping over Shad without seeing him.

Tony, however, could see him.

For, in the middle of the darkness, glowed two angry orbs. The green almost gone, eaten by red, the pupil a dark slit. If Shad turned angry towards them, there was nothing Tony could do to stop him. And nothing to stop Shad from going against Tony either if it came to that. The Crown could protect Tony but he wasn’t the only victim Shad could create once lost in his fury.

So Tony bowed, grinded his teeth and allowed his bed to be moved from his room to theirs.

He took his knife with him, though.

***

Soon enough, they came to an arrangement. Struggling with them on a daily basis became really old really fast for everyone involved. While bed rest was necessary, Tony could admit it to himself, but he couldn’t leave his inside guests to the men’s care. They’d taken upon themselves to clean and feed the animals living outside of the house but they could not, for the life of him, do the same for those living inside.

So they would leave him do it but as soon as he was done, he was to come back to their room and rest. Which… boring. Boring and annoying. Infinitely better than trying to sneak out on them and arguing all day long though. It was tiring and Tony didn’t have that much energy anyway.

So, yeah. They helped, Tony could see it when he sneaked a glance from the entry door. He had to run back to his room when Steve spotted him but at least he was a little more at ease, knowing they were doing a good job out there. That first time also allowed him to find a solid ally in Clint. When Steve came, looking for Tony and squinting suspiciously at him when he found him lying innocently in bed, Clint assured him that Tony hadn’t left the room since he came back from his morning routine.

A useful backup that had its price, though. “If you can sneak out, so can I.” Clint had said, frowning and daring Tony to contradict him.

Tony hadn’t. As long as Clint kept pressure off of his leg, there was no problem with him limping around a little. Mindful of Clint’s winces, Tony came back one day with a crutch they hid under his bed so that Clint could walk with a bit of help.

All in all, it wasn’t so bad, boredom aside. All that free time and Tony couldn’t do anything with it. How ironic.

***

Soon enough, as Tony’s recovery went quicker than it would have if he’d kept on taking care of the haven as he would have without Steve and Bucky’s helps, he found himself freed. Grinning broadly at a sulking Clint, he left the room with a new spring to his steps and went outside, breathing in the fresh air of the Crown.

Winter was still a few months away but it had started to creep in. There was a new stingy edge to the breeze, bringing a particular smell of winter. It was all here, announcing her arrival. Maybe she would take a break at Tony’s house, before raining snow somewhere else, giving poor people a hard time and bringing joy to the kids.

Though, now that he thought about it, Tony would soon have to put together the greenhouse to protect the garden behind the house. Maybe add an extension where he would pile up blankets and warm stuff. Winter, at the Crown, could be harder than in lower grounds. Bruce, while a magical being, could still be affected by it. If there was one thing Tony would like to avoid, it was a Bruce made grumpy by the weather.

That was another task to keep for later, though. If Clint, Steve and Bucky were still around at the time, he’d have to tell them to avoid lurking around the greenhouse. Bruce was a smart, nice little guy but he could be fairly dangerous fairly quick too.

Breathing in the fresh, free air of outside, Tony let himself enjoy his freedom for a few more seconds, taking in the way the place was - mostly - clean and well kept. Admittedly, the guys had done a very good job at keeping the Crown in a good shape. Tony shouldn’t be so surprised considering how they’d always come back to their room to collapse in their bed, asleep before their head even hit their pillow.

A loud thrill came from above and Tony smiled, turning around so he could watch Peter’s flying form but before he could even get a glimpse of the blue sky, something barreled into him, sending him to the ground. The taste of grass barely registered to his mind when the first pinch to his side made him yelp in surprise. Tony struggled around for a small chance to fight back but a large paw with long, pointy talons pinned him to the ground.

“You filthy cheat-” Another pinch to his side tore a loud giggle out of Tony before he could end his sentence.

Tony howled and screeched in laughter, body twisting to try and pry itself away but it was to no avail. Wings flapped excitedly over Tony, happy chirping and loving headbuting in between insufferable tickling pinches told him everything he needed to know about the reason behind this attack. How much love was being it, though, didn’t stop it from _tickling_.

Which was starting to make his belly hurt and, if Tony was to believe the way his bladder was starting to take on pressure, a few seconds away from peeing himself. Which, once again, not happening. Ever. No walk of shame, pee stained pants on, to be witnessed by one of the wonder boys. If not all of them.

Contracting his muscles to keep the tickling from tickling too much, Tony twisted his body until he could get out from under Peter’s paw. Rolling out of range, Tony jumped on his feet before he could get pinned to the ground again. Peter started tweeting excitedly but the sound ended on a wheeze when Tony tackled the griffin to the ground with a roar. As soon as he could, Tony reached and pinched the tuft of feathers on the side of Peter’s head, making him squeak loudly.

They wrestled, grunting and squeaking, pinching sides and pulling feathers, beak plucking strands of hair and tugging as Tony gnawed on an admittedly untasty, scaly front paw.

“Tony?”

Of course that’s when Steve and Bucky appeared, quickly followed by a limping Clint. That very short moment of inattention, though, cost Tony greatly. He cried out when Peter freed his paw from his jaw and plucked some hair out of his scalp before flying out of reach, clucking smugly all the while.

“Come back down, you filthy cheater!” Tony bellowed, pointing at the retreating form of the very much laughing son of a bitch. Lost fight, obviously. “Wait ‘til you come back,” he hissed ominously.

Rubbing at his sore scalp, Tony turned to the three wonder boys, sparing a minute to feel grateful for his dry pants. No walk of shame with pee stained pants, yay. Just a stance of embarrassment. “What,” he barked, “never saw a human wrestling a griffin?”

Clint snorted. Loudly. He tried to muffle his snickering by slapping his hand in front of his mouth but it was entirely useless. Bucky barked out a laugh and Steve stared, disbelief written all over his face.

Well, at least it wasn’t a total disaster.


	5. Chapter 5

The Mountain’s Crown, or the Crown as the man called it, was some kind of haven for creatures, magical or common. War mounts were grazing peacefully in the hills near the house without the presence of a penn to keep them safe and around. There were some war dogs too, resting or trotting enthusiastically around the man and looking up to him like he was their savior.

Which, Bucky thought with a frown, might be the truth.

Since the man, Tony, had agreed to keep them around until he thought them trustworthy enough to let them leave without risking the lives of his guests, Bucky, Clint and Steve had seen… incredibles things.

At first and during the very first day, Bucky and Steve had found they actually had to fight Tony in order to keep him in bed. He also discovered that Tony could compete with Steve’s stubbornness which was definitely not fun considering Bucky thought himself free of fighting injured little shits unable to stay in bed for their own sake. He would have find it a sweet revenge on Steve for all those days the punk had put Bucky through hell and back if Bucky hadn’t had to participate in the battles.

For a split second, Bucky had considered tying Tony to his bed and be done with it but, like he always does, Steve had guessed exactly what had went through his boyfriend’s mind and glanced at him. The disappointment in those baby blues was thicker than Steve’s head, which was saying something. It was all it took to swipe the idea away.

Bucky was a weak man when confronted by boyfriends and willing to admit it. If just to himself.

A the end of the first day, Steve and Bucky had to add a fourth bed in their room in order to keep Clint and Tony in check.

Because as soon as Steve and Bucky had their back turned to fight Tony and keeping him in bed, Clint had used the opportunity to sneak out. Of-fucking-course he had.

When they weren’t taking care of Tony and Clint and more or less certain one or the other wouldn’t leave his bed to wander around, Steve and Bucky were outside and managing the haven. As best as they could, anyway. The number of chores the man did, all by himself, was astonishing.

When he had a moment to spare, Bucky wondered how Tony had done it without someone to help him. Steve and him were both young men in good conditions and despite being used to rougher days, they still fell asleep as soon as their head hit their pillow, exhaustion deeply settled in their limbs.

Until Tony was finally freed from staying in bed. Then, they saw him in action.

As soon as Tony was out and about, the griffin, the roc bird and the wyvern started helping. It was fascinating. Like dancers whirling over and around Tony, helping with the ease of a well oiled team. The wyvern, Trisha, was a new addition to it and it showed, but she was doing well despite her considerable size.

There were others creatures at the Mountain’s Crown aside from the horses, the dogs and what Bucky had started to refer as the Crown’s guardians. Steve, Bucky and Clint knew there were but Tony had refused to tell anything to them about those other guests.

“It’s already a bad thing that you know about Trisha, Peter and Birdy, I won’t put others at risk if I can help it,” he had said, gaze steady and focused. The warrior who had fought against Bucky and held his ground was staring at them, ready to fight if necessary. The fighter was obvious in all his strength and resolution.

They’d bowed out of that argument, despite Bucky’s reluctance. It was the only time Tony would be allowed out of his bed for the days he was supposed to rest. During his recovery, Bucky and Steve had taken upon taking care of the creatures residing outside the house, feeding them, cleaning if necessary while Tony took care of the inside guests.

It’s how they understood the true expanse of the Wyvern’s intelligence. As long as they took care of the haven, she brought a considerable amount of trash for them to clean. Bringing a new carcass as soon as they were done with the former one.

Steve and Bucky truly understood how much she had fucked with them, the very first day Tony went back to the outside work. As he came upon the disgusting remains of the unknown thing “Trisha” had hunted that day, Tony arched an eyebrow at her and asked her to get rid of it herself. She had done it. In a heartbeat. As simple as that. Flapping her wings and grabbing the remains with her back paws, she carried it somewhere else and that was it.

When she came back, Tony instantly scolded her over it, asking her where that behavior came from and overall acting like a father chiding his behaving child.

She looked ashamed in front of him, lowering her eyes to the ground and shuffling awkwardly on her front digits until he huffed out fondly, patted her on the snout and headed somewhere else. The second Tony had his back turned, she smirked smugly at Bucky and Steve, the hint of pointy teeth not nearly as threatening as the mischievous glint in her eyes.

The ridiculous number of hours they had spent cutting and dismantling the horribly reeking carcasses she kept bringing was infuriating now that they knew the truth behind it.

With Tony now in condition to guide them, it was considerably easier to take care of the haven and its inhabitants. Funner, too. It felt as if someone had lifted a significant weight off of their shoulders. The sky seemed brighter, the air cleaner and easier to breath, the grass greener.

***

Living at the Mountain’s Crown wasn’t as bad as Bucky thought it would be.

He had had his doubts concerning Tony’s motives and the way he would be with them after their insurrection but Tony proved him wrong on each and every one of them.

Sure, Tony had been a pain in the ass to deal with when they tried to keep him in bed for his recovery but as soon as they let him go, he went back to taking care of his guests.

Kept on taking care of Clint’s injuries, pestering and glaring at them every chance he had but his gestures remained soft and careful. He was more caring than Bucky had thought he was at first, and it showed crystal clear once he stopped listening to Tony’s rants and insults. His words were roughs and hard but his eyes, while sometimes shining bright with anger, never ceased to care.

He cared enough to fight.

He had _snarled_ at them when Bucky had refused to give Clint the medicine, it was to lighten the pain but Bucky had never seen nor scented anything like it. It was unknown, it could be dangerous and Bucky was already on edge more often than not. Pissed off, Tony had shoved the medicine at them, fury burning bright in his eyes as he spat: “Give it to him when you’re tired of seeing him in pain,” before storming out and slamming the door on his way out.

Much later, when Tony came back and found Clint asleep and his face devoid of any pain, he had smiled a tiny little thing their way. It was hard to say if it was about their show of trust or because of Clint’s peaceful, resting face, though. Probably both, Bucky thought.

They had been surprised when they realised just how good Tony’s drug was, for more than just keeping the pain at bay. Clint kept a clear mind, barely slower than usual and less sleepy than he would be with some other drugs. It was not only effective but it didn’t hinder Clint’s faculties either, it was a real relief for everyone.

“What d’you use?” Clint asked one day.

Tony had smiled, small and distracted as he changed Clint’s dressing, “I have my own recipe.”

“Will you tell me?” Clint pushed, curious and watching Tony closely.

“It depends.”

“On what?”

Tony didn’t answer immediately, focusing instead on finishing Clint’s arm’s dressing. Bucky could see the frustration building and starting to show on Clint’s face but the archer kept it at bay. Waiting, making a true effort to give space and trust to the man who’s been taking care of him since the beginning. Tony answered when he was done, looking straight at him, open and honest but no less firm and definitive: “On you.”

With a last pat on Clint’s now bandaged arm, Tony left the room, glancing shyly at Steve and a little more warily at Bucky on his way out.

After that, and once Clint was allowed to get out of his room, everything went a little easier.

Not so surprisingly, Tony was more relaxed around Clint. He also agreed to Clint’s requests more often and more easily than he did with Steve’s or Bucky’s.

Because of one of those requests, they found themselves eating at the same table, sharing breakfast and dinner and every meal after that. With Clint, it was easy like that. He just had to say something and Tony would think about it, maybe agree instantly. When it came to Steve, it was a little more hesitant and still showing some wariness. Bucky was another matter entirely. While Tony wasn’t outright hostile, he also knew what kind of skills Bucky had and definitely aware of the threat he represented. Yet, Tony was kind and would give Bucky more than he should, more than most would and Tony wouldn’t think twice about it. There was just that knowledge, that readiness in his eyes when he looked Bucky’s way.

Tony wasn’t fooled by Steve’s easy smiles or Clint’s childiness. He was still assessing them like he said he would.

Bucky didn’t know what Tony saw when he was looking at them but it couldn’t be so bad.

***

There was a garden behind the house where vegetables and fruits grew, beautiful and healthy. It looked well taken care.

Tony went there every day but Bucky had never saw him doing anything aside from taking the available harvest.

At first, the quantities had been small but the more Clint, Steve and Bucky stayed, the more they grew until it gave enough to feed Tony and his three humans guests.

The hunt part was taken care by Peter, the griffin. In the very beginning, when Tony was still in bed rest and unable to go outside - without being chased down by them, that is - the beast would only hunt enough for Tony. It lasted until Peter realized Tony took smaller parts to share equally with them. The very next day, they had too much meat to deal with.

Their life wasn’t ideal, far from it, but the more time passed, the more it was hard to remember they were prisoners of the Mountain’s Crown until Tony trusted them enough to let them go. And the more they stayed, the more Tony opened to them and that, Bucky had found, held a higher price to him than his own liberty.

Steve had been the first to fall. Bucky had watched his old friend staring at Tony with a small smile playing on his lips as Tony took care of a spooked horse, voice soft and touch gentle. He had seen the way Steve would touch Tony’s shoulder as he passed by, or the way he would lean toward their host when he spoke. It was all written in the way Steve had stopped watching Tony carefully to look at him fondly.

Clint had followed, probably halfway there already when Tony had held him gently so that Clint could carde his fingers through Birdy’s feathers. The look of utter wonder on Clint’s face had spread warmth in Bucky’s chest, a warmth that reached far within him until it had taken a firm place and stayed there.

That day, once Clint was done marveling at the strength in the bird’s wings and the way each feather played a vital role in his flight, Tony and Clint had sat together. They talked until night had came upon them, the great bird nestled near them and keeping them warm despite the mountain’s chill.

Somewhere along the way, Bucky guessed, he had fallen too. Truth be told, it was hard to keep your heart on the line when a man like Tony was around.

Tony was kind, generous and smart, a kind of smartness Bucky had never witnessed before. There was a reserve to Tony when he was around them, it was more related to awkwardness than shyness, though. It wasn’t hard to guess Tony hadn’t seen a human being in a long time and that his last meeting hadn’t end well.

However, despite Steve and Clint’s infatuations, and Bucky’s to some degree, and the way they had started to act around him, Tony seemed to remain entirely oblivious to their affections. Reacting to Steve’s casual touching with a small smile, definitely happy to welcome Clint sprawling on his lap as soon as Tony was sitting, it was almost natural as Tony carded his fingers through Clint’s hair. He reacted to the changes in their behaviors like it was something entirely natural.

It seemed entirely too easy for Tony to lie down with Clint curled up next to him, the archer’s head nestled on his shoulder and his nose brushing against his throat. There wasn’t any awkwardness in his smile when Clint had reached around and wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist. Tony would welcome Steve or Bucky on his other side like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

It was insane how easily Tony fitted among them. It wasn’t like a missing piece had found its place but like he was simply made to be with them. How his smile could brighten Steve’s day when he felt a little loomy around the edges, how his joke and small pranks would delight Clint and distract him, how they would rant together for hours without getting tired of it.

For Bucky, it was more subtle. Tony was still careful around him, assessing him from time to time and yet… yet Tony would reach out with such easiness it was a wonder to feel his palm settle on Bucky’s shoulder. The comfort it convey was infinite.

Tony cared more than he would admit. It was written in the way he elbowed Bucky in the side and would distract him with a sharp comment if Bucky stayed away from his boyfriends for a little too long. Tony didn’t say anything, didn’t ask questions or stated what he might have guessed, but he offered what he could and most of the time it was enough to soothe whatever was troubling Bucky’s peace of mind. Sometimes Bucky would not even realize what had happened until he was snuggled with Steve or Clint, head and heart lighter than a moment ago.


	6. Chapter 6

“He only hurt you to protect us, you know that right?”

A shiver ran down Tony’s spine at the soft voice.

There was a lot of things Tony could say about Steve.The list would probably be longer than his arm, and half of it would be some stupid shit about Steve’s good soul and his kindness and the way his eyes glinted wonderfully when the sun was high in the sky. Another would probably rant about how unacceptable it was to have such an innocent face all the while being such an asshole. Steve was such a little shit and could hid it better than anyone Tony knew and had known. Despite, and probably a little because of it, Tony was helplessly, stupidly in love with Steve.

Was in love with all three of them, if Tony was being honest with himself. Which he did sometimes, somewhere in some dark, secluded part of his confused mind.

“I know,” he said, calmer than he felt.

Tony wanted nothing more than feel Steve’s arm curling around his shoulders. The heat radiating from his body and the safety Tony had started to feel around him.

All three of them were bound to leave and Tony would have thrown them out as soon as the feelings had started to creep up on him but it wasn’t an available solution. His heart was on the line and while he had perfected the skill of protecting it, it wasn’t the most important thing Tony had to protect. He couldn’t let them leave until he was sure they wouldn’t come back to erase what they thought were dangerous beasts. Or sell the place’s location to some smugglers.

Tony’s heart was at risk but so were the lives of his guests and Tony had sworn to protect them, at all costs.

Clint and Steve wouldn’t do anything that could endanger the Crown’s guests, that much Tony was sure. The way Clint looked at Birdy and the relationship they had built by just staying near each other was saying it all. It was nothing foolish like Tony would have expected from the man but they understood each other in a way Tony didn’t. There was the same intensity in Clint’s eyes Tony could find in Birdy’s. Maybe Clint Barton had been a great bird of prey in another life, maybe he was just made for Birdy. There were things beyond human understanding and as much as Tony hated it sometimes, he had stopped searching and trying to understand what he knew was beyond him.

Steve… Steve was a marshmallow heart if Tony had ever met one. It had been obvious since the very first day of Tony’s bed rest when Steve and Bucky had had to take care of the outside guests. At the end of the day, Steve had come back with one of the dogs, one missing an ear and an eye. Berry was ugly at best, terrifying at worst. A war dog, meant for battles and distorted by it. Scarred by it. He had a frightening snarl and a growl deep and rusted that would make the bravest man shudder in terror if he wasn’t already running away. At Clint’s questioning glance, Steve had shuffled awkwardly on his feet, rubbing the back of his neck: “I couldn’t resist.”

“Puppy dog eyes,” Bucky had explained from behind Steve, exasperation loud in his voice and fondness clear on his face.

Clint had rolled his eyes and welcomed the dog in his bed with a happy sound, petting and scratching until Berry was a puddle of happy panting puppy curled up in Clint’s and Steve’s lap.

Nothing to fear from Steve and Clint. They probably would protect the Crown’s existence and location as best as they could.

Bucky however was another matter entirely.

Currently cleaning the horses’ stalls, the man was smiling that very small, very discreet smile of his. As he was doing it, he kept touching the animals oh so gently, talked sweetly to them.

Bucky was a kind man with a wicked sense of humour and a sharp tongue but his eyes could be the softest or the hardest depending on the situation at hand. He had the potential of being the deadliest son of a bitch Tony had ever met and the most cuddly cuddler Tony had ever cuddled. Clint was one hell of a snuggler but he had nothing on Bucky.

Yet, Tony had good reasons to be wary of him.

“You told me you were soldiers from the Ark Kingdom,” Tony said, eyes firmly set on Bucky’s moving form. A mare was giving him trouble, poking and pushing him with her nose, getting in his path and keeping him from doing his job but he laughed and playfully pushed her back.

“We are,” Steve said with a frown, looking at Tony.

Tony watched Bucky and the mare playing before meeting Steve’s searching eyes. “He doesn’t fight like one.”

Emotions flickered over Steve’s face, too fast for Tony to identify them all but he didn’t have to. Steve’s reaction was telling enough.

Tony quickly shut down the pain in his chest, straightening his shoulders and lifting his chin as he faced Steve.

“Is he working with Hydra?”

“No,” Steve said instantly, expression hard like stone and eyes like steel. He tightened his jaw, muscles flexing along his cheek as he looked away. He took a deep breath before meeting Tony’s eyes again. “It’s not my story to tell,” he said firmly, “and I won’t tell you anything he doesn’t want me to, but listen to me when I tell you he is _not_ one of Hydra’s soldiers. He fought against them alongside me and Clint. We probably wouldn’t have found out about them if it wasn’t for him.”

Steve wasn’t a liar, Tony thought.

However, no matter how hard Tony tried to convince himself, he couldn’t just take on a man’s word. Especially a lover ready to do anything and everything to protect his love.

There were only so many times someone could be lied to and keep on trusting blindly.

“I’ll talk to him,” Tony said with a nod.

A hand caught him firmly around the forearm when he made a move to go.

“Tony please. Be gentle when you’ll talk to him. If he chooses to tell you, keep in mind that it’s not an easy story for him.”

Steve’s eyes were pleading, their blue like a lake of tears shed a long time ago and yet still weighing heavily on his soul.

Tony aborted a nod, not wanting to lie. “I’ll see about that.”

“Thank you.”

The effort Steve had to make in order to let go of Tony’s arm was as obvious as his reluctance to let him go talk to Bucky. There were words and pleas in his eyes as he glanced worriedly in Bucky’s direction but Steve said none of them and made his way toward the house. Probably to go and curl up with Clint during Tony and Bucky’s talk.

As Steve turned his back on him and headed to the house, Tony couldn’t hold back a small smile. Those three deeply loved each other, cared so much it was written all over them.

Clint and Steve couldn’t love someone believing and supporting Hydra’s tenets. At least, Tony hoped so.

Once he arrived at the barn, Tony chose to sit on the stool near the stall where Bucky was still cleaning. Crowding the man in an enclosed space with an easy spooked animal wouldn’t be a smart move. For anyone involved.

Tony honestly didn’t know how he would play this, not even where he would start it, but that piece was the last one missing to the puzzle he had been solving since their arrival. He needed to know. It was as much for his own peace of mind than for the haven’s sake.

The anguish in Steve’s eyes, though, had made Tony reconsider his fears. He wasn’t sure anymore if he really wanted to ask the questions that needed to be asked.

The war was an ugly thing, Tony knew a bit about it. Probably too much, sometimes, but it was one thing to know it and another to see it. As he waited, hands joined between his knees, Tony wondered if he had sheltered another kind of wounded beasts. Clint, Steve and Bucky were the first humans the Crown sheltered, aside from those specifically invited by Tony.

Clint had obviously been wounded, physical injuries for the most part but his eyes spoke of things haunting him. Steve carried himself like he was carrying the world and sometimes his eyes looked far away, farther than they should for such a young age. And then there was Bucky and his almost permanent scowl, his distress showing at random during the day. The screams, at night, followed by calming, soothing tones. Sometimes the voice shouting at night changed. Bucky wasn’t the only one waking up in the middle of the night with scorching screams and pained sobs, but his voice was the one waking up Tony more often than not.

“What are you doing here, doll?”

Tony glanced up to see Bucky leaning over the stall’s door, arms crossed over the wood as the man looked down at him. There was a small, relaxed smile curling his lips. Bucky looked good. There were no shadows lurking in the grey of his eyes, today they looked like an early morning in winter. Clear and fresh. His jaw, slightly shadowed by a few days old beard looked sharper than usual. The stubble only made Bucky’s lips stand out more.

Bucky looked astonishingly good and happy.

Despite himself and knowing the reason of his visit, Tony couldn’t help a responding smile from curling the side of his mouth.

“Coming to see you. I hope you’re not too disappointed,” he added playfully.

Bucky hummed, his smile growing wider as he leaned a little more over the stall’s door. “How could I be? I finally have you all to myself. Is there a reason or did you just missed me?”

Bucky was smiling, carefree, as he opened the door, stepping in the hallway. Like it was nothing more than one of their usual flirty banter. Tony knew, though. Or, rather, remembered it now.

“Ah,” he said with a frown. Bucky turned to him, a small crease appearing between his brows.

“Something wrong, Tony?”

He looked worried now and Tony couldn’t held back the guilt that crawled down his throat and curled up around his heart.

“We need to talk.”

Without taking his eyes off of Tony, Bucky put the cleaning tools away. He looked fully concerned now but less about himself and more about anything that might be upsetting Tony. “Nothing good ever came out of any talk starting that way,” he tried to joke but his smile was off.

“We need to talk about Hydra,” Tony clarified, somewhat feeling sorry already.

As soon as the name fell out of Tony’s mouth, Bucky’s face went eerily blank. The early morning in winter became a dull blanket of grey snow. The playful and yet concerned smile disappeared, turned into a flat line of thin lips. The frown eased out and ceased to be entirely.

Suddenly, Tony faced the man he had fought what felt a lifetime ago.

“Steve told you?”

Tony fought down a shiver. It felt as if Bucky was gone and someone had taken his place. There was nothing familiar in the eyes staring down at him, the man standing in front of him held himself straighter than Bucky did, shoulders squared and gaze intense. The voice, flat, didn’t even sounded familiar.

Bucky had slammed the door and Tony was now facing a blank, unbreakable wall.

It felt oddly familiar. It reminded him of that first day with Trisha. Bucky wasn’t a spooked horse but he was still ready to bite if Tony made the wrong move.

It took a lot of effort, to fight down the reflexes to ready himself, but Tony managed to relax his posture until he looked as non-threatening as he could.

“No, he didn’t. I figured it out,” Tony said, looking straight into Bucky’s eyes and refusing to break contact. Watching carefully.

For a split second, surprise widened Bucky’s eyes before he shut down that reaction, fairly quick.

“You fought them,” Bucky said, certainty affirming his voice, making it a statement.

Tony shook his head before stopping himself. He did, in a way. He hadn’t known it was them at the time, but they had been Hydra. It was how he had recognized Bucky’s fighting style, among other things. He wasn’t entirely sure how best to reply.

“Not during the war,” he settled on, watching Bucky for any kind of reaction. It was to no avail. The door was shut and truly shut, nothing was coming through anymore.

It was still Bucky standing in front of Tony, but he had stripped himself from everything making him the man he was. Leaving a blank, frowning stare behind him and a body meant for killing. Nothing left to read on Bucky’s face, nothing to believe but the words of a man Tony was too in love with to trust himself. Yet Tony had no choices but to head on. Even if it meant tearing apart the friendship they had built together.

Not that Tony had any hope of them staying with him or even coming back to visit him, once he’d let them go.

Steeling himself, Tony took a deep breath and asked the question he had had on his mind since that fight with Bucky.

“Are you working for Hydra?”

“No.”

Tony blinked, taken aback. The vacant stare had been burned away by the fire of hatred Tony’s question had lit up in Bucky’s eyes. The word, sharp and short, cracked like a whip. Either Bucky was lying without even trying to show some kind of hesitation or he was pretty damn certain of his answer.

“Can I trust that answer? Can I trust you?”

Just as fast as the fire had ignited, it died down like Tony had thrown a bucket of water on it and killed it. The empty eyes didn’t come back but Bucky didn’t either, not entirely. However, the straightened shoulders dropped a little as the man hunched in on himself.

“Probably not,” Bucky said averting Tony’s eyes to stare somewhere on the ground instead.

Either Bucky was a fantastic actor or the shame and guilt were genuine, along with the sadness and the bone deep exhaustion. Tony had met some very good liars in his life, some better than others. The thing was, no matter how many Tony had met before, he knew he wasn’t safe from being fooled by another one. Bucky could be the next one managing to deceive him, he could even be the last one, but Tony wouldn’t know until it was too late.

Brows furrowed and eyes watching Bucky carefully, Tony weighed his options until he came to a decision.

“Ok,” Tony said, clasping his hands on his thighs as he raised to his feet, instantly earning Bucky’s attention. At least it had wiped away the dejected expression off of Bucky’s face. It was disheartening to see him like that. Despite being gloomy sometimes, Bucky had one of the most beautiful smile of the three of them. “I need to think about it. You’re not a bad guy,” he added softly when he saw Bucky’s frown deepening. “I can see that, I can even tell it and I like you as much as I like Steve and Clint,” Well played, Stark, Tony thought bitterly. He carried on before Bucky could sense his pause, “but it’s not me I’m trying to protect here.”

The smile that lifted Bucky’s lips was small and sad but it was genuine. “I know, doll,” he said, voice deep and words slow, careful. “But you gotta trust me when I say I would never endangered this place willingly.”

Which… said probably more than Bucky wanted it to.

It took everything Tony had to not let his gaze wander over the scars Tony knew were hidden under Bucky’s clothing. He hadn’t seen much of them, Bucky was secretive and obviously ashamed of them, but Tony had caught glimpses of them over the time they spent all together. Some were war related, that much was evident, but some were definitely not.

Smiling tentatively at the soldier, Tony nodded: “I can believe that.” He made a step back, ready to turn on his heels and head back to some tasks he had to get done when a thought crossed his mind. “Can I come to you if I have more questions?”

It wasn’t obvious, be it on Bucky’s face or in his general body language but Tony was sure he had startled him. How and why, though, was a mystery.

“Ye-Yeah, ’course you can. I’ll answer if I can,” Bucky added quickly, unable to hold Tony’s gaze more than a handful of seconds at a time.

Liar could be written all over his face. Elusive or shifty, even. But Tony had seen Bucky lie blatantly at his boyfriends about the cookies Tony had baked, one day, saying he hadn’t had any despite shoving two of them in his mouth mere minutes ago. His face hadn’t given him away. He lied easily, without hesitation - and enjoying shamelessly the extra cookie he got, answering Tony’s grin with one of his own. Clint might be onto him, at the moment, but hadn’t be able to tell. Until later, when Bucky told it all, laughing so much it was a miracle he was understood, and got mercilessly tickled for his troubles. And got ordered to bake them cookies, if Tony was okay with it of course.

If Bucky could lie that easily, even to his boyfriends, it wouldn’t be too hard to do it in Tony’s face and be sure Tony would be none the wiser.

There were no lies on Bucky’s face, however. Only shame.

It wasn’t Tony’s place to comfort him, no matter how much he wished it was. There was nothing he could say, nothing he could do without compromising himself or the safety of the Mountain’s Crown. So he said and did nothing, turning on his heel and leaving the stables, hoping Steve or Clint would find him and make it better. Convinced they would, and if they didn’t, Tony’d find a way to nudge them in the right direction.

There was nothing he could do but think, weighting things and take a decision. Deep down, he knew he already had taken one but it was too soon, too fast.

It already felt like a farewell.


	7. Chapter 7

The Mountain’s Crown was beautiful in more ways than Steve had thought it would ever be.

At first, when he had seen it as they were running away from Tony’s house, it was nothing but a path to go through until they could reach a safe place. Some shelter. Far away from there. He’d seen round hills and thought about the difficulty they would put on their way. The grass, thick and fat, was just a long mat that could cover anything to make them trip. The sky, wide and open, had been clear and the kind of blue poets were talking about in their odes.

Far away was the tree’s cover. It had seem so far away at the moment, almost unreachable. Not that it would have kept Steve from trying anyway. Clint’s safety depended of him and as soon as Clint was safe, Steve would have come back to help and support Bucky.

At the time, the Crown was nothing but a hostile ground, full of unknown threat and too much open space.

Since then, however, everything had changed.

The Crown had gone from threat to workplace, and from there had become a home. The house, huge and still under construction felt safe and open, ready to welcome him each time he went through its doors. What had been cold, unforgiving stone was now the proof of how hard Tony worked. Each day brought new marks, scattered all over the house, telling Tony had been the one building it. With his bare hands and maybe the help of his friends.

The way the wood had been carved and worked spoke not only of hard work but also of love and patience. Each scar draw in the wood, a story Tony was nothing but happy to tell with grand gestures and happy smiles.

The Crown felt safer than their home had ever felt, back in the Kingdom. Safer and happier.

There was no one, here, to stare at Bucky with judging, wary eyes. Nobody to point at Clint and whispers stories where nobody could tell the truth from the lie, but kept on spreading them anyway.

No one to look at Steve and smile eagerly with a wave, with an invitation for him to dinner or breakfast and none for Bucky or Clint. Nothing expected of him aside from feeding the dogs and being scolded by Tony for indulging them too much. All the while being himself flooded by an army of over excited war dogs morphed into puppies as soon as Tony was in licking distance.

The Crown had everything to offer. Bucky had never seem as happy and relaxed as he did now that he didn’t felt as threatened as he had in those first few days. Clint… Clint could probably live anywhere and everywhere as long as he had them with him but the Crown had soothed some of the hurt and erased the frown he had, more often than not, when they were at the capital city.

Now the hills looked like open arms, invitation to roam around, discovering new places with the same awe he had felt the first days. The forest casted a welcomed shadow on sunny days and was peaceful most of the time.

Tony had warned them about wild animals that could still attack but all of them knew their way around a forest and Steve had never felt threatened despite walking by a bear and catching a glimpse of a pack of wolves not so far from the Crown’s “borders”.

They felt at home.

The house, though, wasn’t the only thing that had grown on them.

“We need to tell him,” Clint said out of the blue, jaw set and arms crossed.

He was staring at them, determination written across his face.

“Tell him what?” Steve asked from where he was sitting on the bed, trying to understand what he had fucked up in his knitting project. Again. He was bound to go to Tony for some help and explanation about what he had done wrong this time.

Clint was a perfect distraction for the disappointment mixed with hope and expectation at the prospect of spending some more time with Tony. A very serious distraction, though, judging by the way Clint was glaring at him from across their room.

Worry started to bloom in Steve’s chest but it faded quickly when Clint flashed his teeth at him in a beaming smile.

“That we’re in love with him, of course!”

The words took a handful of seconds before Steve registered them but he felt himself flushed deeply, the tip of his ears burning as he spluttered, mind struggling with half a dozen things he wanted to say and mouth unable to say any of them.

Hope, horror and fear were warring inside Steve’s head and none of them seemed able to win or dominate the others.

The fear made him glance at Bucky but he discovered that Bucky wasn’t doing any better. Where Steve had started a contest with tomatoes, Bucky had spectacularly blanched and stared at Clint.

“Oh come on guys, don’t try and tell me you didn’t realized it?”

Clint’s smug face slightly diminished Steve’s dread but could only do so much. When the Clint’s grin faded ever so slightly, though, Steve felt his insides coiled tighter.

“You realized we were all in love with him, right?”

As he glanced at one and the other, Clint’s grin faded entirely.

“I-I knew,” Bucky said urgently, unable to handle Clint’s disappointed face. “But…”

“No but,” Clint belied with a scowl, “you just refuse to let it be. You did the same with me because you felt guilty about Steve, you thought you were betraying him.”

“I don-”

“You do,” Clint countered with a frown, glaring daggers at Bucky.

“Will you stop cutting me, you little s-”

“When you’ll stop being a stubborn pain in the ass, you moro-”

“Stop!” Steve shouted, setting his knitting project aside.

Bucky had clenched his fists, lips tightly pursed and a muscle on his jaw was twitching every so often. His eyes, a moment ago wide and shining were now cold and burning with anger. While Clint was on the receiving end of it, he wasn’t the one responsible of it. If Bucky was good at one thing, it was for hating himself.

“We should discuss this,” Steve said calmly, despite the weight sitting heavily on his stomach. “Shouting insults won’t help.”

Clint glared at Bucky a second longer before his shoulders dropped and he averted Bucky’s. “I thought you knew.”

“... I knew,” Bucky sighed as he rubbed his left shoulder. “I was just being-”

“An ass,” Clint finished with a small smile. “Yeah, you were.”

“Smartass,” Bucky muttered, shoving Clint gently, smiling softly if a little warily.

Bucky glanced at the door, clearly wishing he could go out and leave the hard part behind but knew he couldn’t. Their relationship was based on communication and they were far from their first year of polyamory where everything had been hell and hard learned lessons. They had learn from their mistakes, the hurt they had inflicted to each other that they could have avoided if they had talked. It didn’t make it easier for any of them, though.

They all had their moments. Sometimes Clint was the one opening up the conversation, like he did with this one, sometimes it was Steve and Bucky had been the starting point of a few of them. They’d learn. And while they still didn’t like it, they knew it was the best way to dodge lost arrows. Love could be like a battlefield, Steve thought. If the team’s members didn’t work together and communicate, it was bound to fail.

They made it work, through pains and fears, angers and uncertainty, they went a long way from their starting point. They would make it work this time too.

Clint and Bucky made their way to Steve’s bed, sitting cross legged on each side of it. They all traded looks and meaningful glances, until Steve got tired of it.

“So-”

“You sketched him and Bucky cuddled him!” Clint rushed, as if he only had been waiting for someone to start the conversation so he could give his proofs.

Thing was... he wasn’t wrong, no matter how Clint’s way of saying it could be pegged as childish.

Steve had found Bucky cuddling Tony, curled up and entangled to the point where it had been hard to tell where one began and where the other ended. Had found them in a similar position more than once.

Usually, Bucky wasn’t much of a cuddler. He could tolerate a hug here and there, a few touches from time to time only from people he liked but there was something important about his personal space. It felt like an invisible wall stood all around him, keeping everyone at arm's length and out of his way. Be it with one of his deadly glare or his general appearance, Bucky rarely let others approach him, let alone touch him.

Except where his lovers were concerned. Then it was another thing entirely.

It was a dead giveaway, indeed. Why Steve hadn’t linked the dots was a mystery. He’d been the first one telling Clint about how much of a big deal it was for Bucky to cuddle so openly with him when Clint had started doubting about Bucky’s feelings. The beginning had been rough for all of them. Bucky was still working on his recovery and there were days where he could barely hold himself together, Clint had doubted himself more than once since he was the one entering a pre-established relationship. Steve, for his part, had felt like he was losing Bucky and Clint and had had to fight two wars at once. One against the voice telling him he should leave them before they did, another one screaming at him to double his efforts. While the latter seemed like the best part, pushing himself on them wasn’t the solution. He had to give them space and time to heal, they all needed to find their grounds and how the relationship would work.

It had been tedious and difficult but the reward was ten times worth it all. They healed, they learned and they still loved each other.

While the meaning of Bucky’s cuddling habits with Tony had escaped him, Steve thought, his own hadn’t.

It was hard to keep himself from glancing to the side, where his sketchbook laid. Steve knew himself well enough to know he sketched what he loved and what he liked. It could be landscapes or tools of everyday, some people in their daily tasks but on most pages were Bucky and Clint in any and every situation.

Steve sketched what he loved.

The last pages of his sketchbook were filled with either Bucky or Clint but Tony had sneaked in there too. Laughing as Birdy decided Tony was a fine nest to lie on, pinning him to the ground. Focused on his task as he took care of a wolf whose paw had been severely injured by a trap. The very same wolf as it slept with its head in Tony’s lap. Tony and Clint, lying on the ground and stargazing. Clint was pointing at something in the sky but Tony only had eyes for Clint, gaze intense and wondering. Tony and Bucky cleaning the horses’ stables together, this one had a next part where they were wrestling on the floor like kids, hay sticking out of their clothes and hair.

“You talked to him,” Bucky pointed at Clint, eyebrow raised.

Clint frowned, confused, until the light shown in his eyes. He stared at Bucky, not angry or wounded, just surprised. “You heard us?”

“No,” Bucky started, before correcting himself. “Yes. Kinda. I was passing by when I heard you say his name. I didn’t linger, I didn’t want to spy on you, it wasn’t my intention.”

“I know,” Clint said with a small smile, before flopping face first on the bed and crawling until his head rested in Bucky’s lap. “I don’t mind,” he added with an awkward shrug, considering his current position, “you already know everything about it. I’m just surprised I didn’t see you.”

“It was at night,” Bucky explained, looking between Clint’s eyebrows instead of his eyes.

“Ah,” Clint said, like it explained everything. With a small smile, he grabbed Bucky by the neck and pulled him in for a kiss, smile lingering and gaining Bucky’s lips. They were both smiling when they came up for air and Steve had to remind himself about their current conversation and the need for an answer.

“That means we’re all in love with Tony?”

“Yup!”

Bucky hummed his approval, still licking his lips and looking relaxed now that he knew Clint wouldn’t be angry with him about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“And we want to include him?”

Bucky looked straight at him, his smile losing some of its calmness to gain in sharpness. The asshole wasn’t fooled by Steve’s choice of words and was letting him know.

“That we do,” Bucky purred, his foot nudging Steve’s thigh, crawling slowly upward until it was pressed flat against Steve’s cock. “I saw you staring, handsome, wanna join us?”

Clint perked up, his eyes taking on a mischievous glint as he took in the outline of Steve’s hardening cock and Bucky’s predatory smile.

So much for a serious conversation, Steve thought as a smile curled his lips.


	8. Chapter 8

Everything was ready, Tony thought.

Usually, being done with a task filled him with a sense of achievement. This time, however, felt different. It made the gaping hole in his chest bigger and deeper. As if someone had carved his heart out. It probably shouldn’t feel as familiar as it did.

No matter how he felt, though, it had to be done. All he could do was make sure they would be safe and well provided for their trip. Dry meat, fruits and cheese for rations, Clint was an astonishing archer, he could hunt for them if needed. So could Bucky, considering his skills. Tony also had given them some warm clothes and thick blankets for the cold nights or if the weather turned bad enough to need them.

Tony had considered giving them horses but discarded the idea almost as soon as it came. Some of his guests were ready to go back to the world and sported soft spots for the three men, but taking care and feeding horses was expensive and difficult. Tony didn’t know enough about their lives to tell if they could do it and while he trust them to take the right decision, it wasn’t necessary to put them in that situation.

They’d come all the way from the city to the mountains, did it on their own feet. They certainly could make their way back without horses. The Kingdom’s borders weren’t that far, anyway.

There was nothing left to do. No matter how hard he tried to find something. Nothing aside from letting them know they were free to go and giving them indications. If they wanted a map, he couldn’t even use the pretext of drawing it himself since he already had one prepared.

It had been a long time, Tony thought bitterly, since he’d wanted to keep someone as much as he did for those three. But they weren’t his to keep and they didn’t want to stay. Tony was many things, some of them bad at best, but he wasn’t one to keep people that didn’t want to stay, not without a good reason anyway. His good reason was gone now.

“Time to keep your word,” he muttered, eyes lingering over the bags.

Something hard poked him in the shoulder and Tony lifted a hand, running his fingers alongside Peter’s beak until he reached the feathers. The griffin rested his head on Tony’s shoulder, clucking softly and gently bumping the side of his head against Tony’s.

There were times where Tony wondered if Peter could feel others’ emotions. Be it humans or animals. Some days, the griffin could be found curled up either around dogs, horses, wolves, bears, pretty much everything he could reach outside of the house. At first, it seemed entirely random but as time passed, Tony had started to find a pattern. It always pointed toward a distressed animal had needed some presence, some comfort, something, anything, and Peter had provided it.

“Must be hell, living near me, if you can feel my emotions,” Tony joked, voice low as he glanced sideway at Peter.

Tony couldn’t help the squeal when Peter pinched his ear.

“I didn’t deserve that!”

Tony batted his beak away, freeing his sore ear from the evil beak. Peter leaped away, chattering happily as he danced, beating the ground and flapping his wings. Tony chuckled and reached for a bag and handed it to the griffin.

“Stop being an idiot and help me.”

Peter snorted, tucking his wings back against his flanks, doing a terrible job at hiding his disappointment. He took the bag Tony was handing him in his beak and started toward the house.

Peter was totally unprepared when Tony reached out to pinch the space under the tuft of feathers on the left side of his head. Peter squeaked in surprise, dropping the bag on his surprise, and screeched angrily as Tony snickered.

Before the griffin could leap and make a move on the vengeance burning bright in his eyes, the house’s door opened and let the three men out. This time, at least, Tony wasn’t in a compromised position.

“Are you about to fight a griffin again?” Bucky drawled as Clint snickered, not bothering hiding it.

There was an answer to that but Tony kept his mouth shut, very well aware of the way Steve’s eyes were wandering near Tony’s feet. The way Steve’s face fell as he took in the three bags made Tony’s heart clench painfully from where it was beating madly against his ribs. He did nothing but watch as the realization dawn on Steve. Then on Bucky and Clint.

Words were lost to him, mind blank, only filled with the play of emotions washing over the three men’s faces.

To say what, anyway ?

There was no reason for their reactions. None for Clint’s defeated shoulders either, or Bucky’s resolved face. Why Steve would be sad, anyway? They finally got what they wanted: freedom. To be allowed to go and come back home, to be done with the shitshow the Mountain’s Crown was on a daily basis.

“Tony?”

There was no reason for flinching away from Steve’s hesitant tone either. Or the way it had wavered toward the end. No reason, and yet Tony did. It felt like a vacillating arrow, shot without conviction, flying weakly and yet felt like it stabbed right into Tony’s chest, leaving him breathless and lost.

This was illogical. They only accepted, grudgingly at best, to stay because Tony wouldn’t let them go. They agreed to prove themselves trustworthy. It had worked, Tony trusted them now and was letting them go. Yet, they looked like he had just punched them. It made no sense! No sense at all! Why couldn’t they react like he was doing them a favor, be happy and cry out in victory? Why couldn’t they just grab their fucking bag and go like everyone else would? At least it would be done and over and Tony could go and lick his wounds in peace.

Steeling himself and shoving away the knot of emotions that was starting to snowballing out of proportions, Tony straightened and dusted his clothes to give himself time to pull back some kind of composure.

Beside him, Peter made a low clucking sound, shuffling away, head and wings lowering ever so slightly. Tony carded his fingers gently through the feathers. “You can go, I’ll take it from here.”

Peter nibbled the tip of Tony’s fingers before trotting away, shaking the earth when he soar to the sky, wings spread wide and feathers glinting in the early sun.

Which left Tony alone to deal with what should have been a clean cut but seemed to be about to go wrong. How was he supposed to let them go if they looked like he was kicking them out instead of giving them back their freedom, like they’d wanted from the beginning? Clint was healed, Tony deemed them trustworthy, there was nothing keeping them here.

“So,” he started, clearing his throat when it came all wrong, strangled by the knot tightly wound up around Tony’s throat. “After some thinking and time, I’ve decided you can go. I don’t think you’ll be a threat to this place, which was why you had to stay in the first place,” he felt necessary to remind them. They didn’t stay willingly in the first place, for fuck’s sake. They helped, sure, but it was all a way to prove they weren’t going to harm Tony’s charges. And because those assholes couldn’t stay idly by to save their lives. Steve had started to learn knitting in lack of anything else to do, Clint had carved a bow and some arrows for Tony to train with and Bucky was always occupied, be it cleaning or taking the animals on a walk. Which wasn’t needed since they were all free to wander around and go if they so much as wanted to. All of it to keep themselves occupied when they weren’t taking care of the haven. For Goodness’ sake, it’ll be hard to go back to his old ways, Tony thought. It would be hard to go back and work on the water system now that he wouldn’t have as much help as he had while they were around and taking charge of most if not all the work. They had brought life with them. They were now taking it away, their warmth, their voices and their touches. Tony would be alone, once again. “I prepared your package-”

“These are our bags,” Clint cut him, frowning.

“Yeah, I took the liberty of filling them with what you needed. They were already full of your belongings anyway.” It hadn’t hurt, Tony convinced himself. Of course they wanted to leave. He wouldn’t stay either, not with two lovers and a life outside of this place. “I gave back your weapons. There’s food for a few days, warm clothes and blankets. I’ve a map if you need o-”

“We don’t need a map, we don’t wa-”

Clint’s tirade ended with the sound of a deflating balloon when Bucky elbowed him in the ribs. For the second time. Tony frowned, tilting his head to the side as he considered them. What the fuck was happening. He shook his head and went back to the point: “So. No map needed, got it. You can go whenever you want but if you want to be at home early, I’d suggest leaving now.” Leaving them to pick up their bag and do as they wanted, Tony turned on his heels and tried to think of what he was supposed to do at this hour.

The horses maybe? Or the dogs? Maybe see if the wolf was doing better today and if his paw was on the right direction for healing properly. There was so much to do and his routine was disrupted, refusing entirely to come back to him. His head was a mess of scrambling brain.

Behind him, he heard Steve calling after him but the sound ended in a “oof”, indicating Bucky had probably used his pointy elbow once again. No surprise here. Nothing to feel hurt about, or dejected. Or like his heart was shattering in his chest.

Tony headed toward the house, bitterness cloaking his throat and eyes burning.

***  
_Some days later_

 

Peter’s chattering call startled Tony out of his daydreaming. Glaring at the floor still covered in mud, horshit and whatnot despte his best efforts, Tony rested the broom against the nearest stable and headed outside.

Since the wonder boys’ departure, staying focused on a task had become nearly impossible. He’d tried to work on his side projects, including the running water, but it only ended in hurting himself and damaging something he’d have to fix later. Way later. When he’d be able to think straight like a normal human being, kind of later.

Days had passed, though, and nothing had changed.

Reading was bound to fail and he would only realize it after reading the same sentence - or page - for over a hundred times. At best. Trying and build another part for the house? Bad idea. His thumb was still sore from where the hammer had hit it one too many time and the tool was probably still laying where Tony had throw it in a fit of rage.

While his cares for his guests hadn’t lessened and he was still doing well, the rest suffered greatly. Cleaning took twice longer than before, harvesting was harder than before because not only was he distracted, but he was also alone and the garden hadn’t shrink since the boys’ departure. Which means he had to harvest the whole thing and then stack it neatly, hoping the garden would get back to its previous size sometime soon. Tony’s cellar was crowded with fruits and vegetables.

He’d tried to make jam but even that had turned into a disaster.

His forearm had started to hurt, anyway. Again. It was probably time to take care of the wound and change the bandages. First, though, Tony needed to check what had upset Peter enough to warrant an alarm.

He was nearing the end of the flat ground in front of the house, reaching where it started going downside, toward the forest. From there, Tony would be able to see anything coming their way. Giving him enough time to ponder about the nature of this call.

Peter’s alert had been a small one. Definitely not the one related to a wounded animal or Tony would already be rushing and running his lungs out. Nothing dangerous to expect either, the sound for that was entirely different. More like…

Greetings.

“What the-”

Crossing the trees’ borders were three very recognizable, very unexpected silhouettes. The one on the left had broad shoulders and long hair but they were tucked away. Probably with one of those ridiculous leather tie Tony had given him when Bucky had complained about his hair getting in his face. On the right side was Steve. He was wearing the clothes Tony had put in his backpack, including the leathered gloves. Between them walked Clint. Even from afar, Tony could make out the proud grin splitting his face in half.

It made him chuckle, despite the disbelief. Steve was holding the flange of a horse stirring a cart covered by a white cloth. Tony frowned. No matter how much he loved them and trust them, there was still that tiny doubt about what could be hiding under the piece of cloth. What else was waiting behind the curtains of trees. Was an army on its way over here?

Peter flew above Tony, his shadow covering him for a full second as he passed, gliding lazily toward the incomers. The griffin landed near the rig, not close enough to allow the men to touch him, but enough to tell if something felt wrong.

Tony sighed in relief when Peter leapt forward, clucking his beak in happiness and prancing in front of Steve, Bucky and Clint, wings flapping and tail flicking happily. The griffin broke in a sprint and jumped, soaring through the sky with a loud cry, probably attracting Trisha and Birdy’s attention.

A part of Tony wanted the three men to be coming back for staying more permanently. It was a huge, selfish, part, clearly. Another one, though, was already scolding them if they weren’t, because they would hurt the animals.

Fist firmly planted on his hips, Tony waited for them to join him but of course Clint had something else in mind. Halfway there, he dropped his backpack, tripped Steve and pushed Bucky away before sprinting toward Tony. Behind the archer, the others two started yelling as they run after him but Clint didn’t slow down. Not even when he reached Tony, which was definitely not expected. He rammed into Tony, sending them both tumbling on the ground where he kissed him, using Tony’s opened mouth to deepen it instantly.

He yelped, surprised, but when his brain caught back to what was happening, Tony let out a small moan and kissed back, his arms winding around Clint’s frame and gripping tightly on his tunic. He has been longing for them for so long, Clint’s body covering him felt like a balm over his open, aching heart.

It was way too early, for both of them if Tony was to judge Clint’s complaint, when Bucky ripped Clint off of Tony and glared at the archer. Far from feeling threatened, Clint grinned and waggled his eyebrows:

“Loosers.”

Weirdly enough, it wasn’t worth a punch right to the face but it was a near thing considering the way Bucky glared at him and Steve pinched Clint’s side in retaliation.

Tony was still spread on the ground, taking them in, his eyes roaming over every change he could find. Bucky looked freer than ever, shoulders straight and smile carefree. There were no shadows lurking in the grey of his beautiful eyes. Only mirth shining bright and free.

“You planning on stayin’ there all day, doll?” Bucky drawled.

Steve had a beard peaking out, a few days growth. His left hand was holding onto his belt were a long sword was attached. It wasn’t old, not entirely new either but it had been well taken care of, the metal shone and Tony could smell the familiar scent of oil. Steve looked expectant, smiling softly despite an edge of uncertainty.

Clint… Clint was bright and smiling like there was no tomorrow and nothing could reach him. His lips were slightly swollen, not enough to be obvious but Tony could see it. Had seek it. They were bright, bringing hope with them but-

“I’m trying to decide if you’re real or if I’m hallucinating,” he said, voice hoarse, drinking in the sight of Bucky’s broad shoulders straining his top, of Clint’s muscular arms showed off by his armless tunic, of Steve’s clear blue… frowning eyes.

Steve crouched beside Tony and touched delicately above the end of the bandage on Tony’s forearm.

“What happened?”

A look at his sleeve showed that blood had pierce through the bandages and onto the fabric. It took a bit of effort and a lot more motivation Tony felt he had, but he managed to raise on a seating position and lifted his sleeve. He winced when it pulled on the wound but it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, it was just a bit of tore flesh and some holes. Ok, a lot of holes. But nothing to fuss over.

“A bear cub. Mama bear wasn’t happy with me. It was near the borders of the Crown’s so its magic couldn’t sooth them as much as if they’d been inside. She still let me help. Not before taking a chunk as a warning though.” It looked like he had told them the bear had ripped his leg off. Tony snorted, a smile tugging at his lips. “Seriously, guys. It’s not that bad. It’d be better if I could stitch it but it’s badly located so… still, no big deal.”

Bucky’s sigh felt like it came from so deep within himself, Tony worried a second about how tired and old the man really was.

“I guess I should resign myself. I only fall in love with daredevils, I guess.”

“You’ve got a type,” Clint snorted as Steve grinned so widely, it probably hurt.

“Let’s take care of that,” Steve said, through his too big smile, eyes shining like the sun glinting over the ocean. Steve extended a hand and Tony took it, grateful for the help because Clint had tackled him just right. His back and chest felt like he’d been run over by horses but damn did he missed being kissed.

Which- A look back at Clint’s lips revealed them just that little bit swollen, still glistening from their kiss. Not a hallucination.

“You kissed me,” he said, dumbfounded, as Steve stirred him toward the house, followed by Clint and Bucky and the horse pulling the cart.

“That I did!” Clint answered proudly.

“But why?”

Steve’s hold on his arm was gentle, leading him softly and ready to hold him up if he was to collapse. Tony huffed, annoyed, but let Steve hold him. It irked him that Steve thought him so weak but on the other hand, his touch had been dearly missed and Tony wasn’t about to give that up to sooth his pride. There was plenty of time to prove Steve wrong. If they were to stay.

Please, make them stay.

“Because, you stubborn piece of shit,” Bucky said without any heat, his hand nestled in Tony’s lower back, “we were ‘bout to ask you t’be our fourth when you kicked us out.”

Tony spluttered and would have stopped on his track if it weren’t for Steve’s gentle leading and Bucky’s hand pushing him forward.

“Bucky thought it would be wise to prove to you we were serious. So we went back home, sold our house and took our belongings with us so we could move in.”

“You what?!” It was hard to say which from shock, disbelief, hope and happiness took the lead. “What if I’d say ‘no’?”

“But you won’t, right?”

Tony gaped as they passed the threshold, lost for words, making Clint giggle and Steve smile softly. The blond tugged lightly on Tony’s arm, bringing him close as he leaned down. Anticipation fluttered in Tony’s chest and he raised on his tiptoes to meet Steve halfway but before any contact could be made, Tony was snatched away and right into Bucky’s chest.

“Me first,” he growled, satisfaction thick in his voice as his hand tilted Tony’s head for a better angle. Tony heard Steve protesting in the background but Bucky’s lips finding his made everything else fade. It was chaste, at first, a small, light touch of their lips. But Bucky was nothing if a dirty player and soon his tongue swept across Tony’s lower lip, soon followed by teeth nipping at the soft flesh, making Tony mewl softly. Before anything could get satisfying enough, though, Bucky started laughing, shaking against Tony’s. “Steve’s glaring at us and I think he might be plotting my death,” Bucky explained with a happy grin, eyes dark with lust.

“I might have, actually,” came Steve’s growling answer.

Clint’s whooping ended in a fit of giggles, quickly followed by the three of them.

Steve’s kiss wasn’t as soft as Tony had expected. It was wicked and hungry and it lit a burning fire of lust in Tony’s lower belly. For a second he wondered how he was supposed to survive a relationship with them.

“First, we need to take care of that arm, then we need to talk,” Steve stated, leading them inside, where he knew the supplies to take care of injuries were located. His eyes spoke of want and need and impatience but his hand, while firm, remained tender.

Somewhere behind him, Tony heard someone whine in despair.

His bet was on Bucky.

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really hope you enjoyed this journey with me. This fiction took a lot of place in my mind. Pictures and backstories like you wouldn't believe, I worldbuilt like I usually don't because I'm affraid I wouldn't do it justice (spoiler: I didn't do it justice).   
> It was my first time writing this OT4 and I had fun even if it's not a lot of them being in an actual relationship, I mean, three of them were but you know what I mean. 
> 
> Lots of love! <3

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://feelingsinwinter.tumblr.com/)! <3


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